Newsletter: 30th April 2021
Posted on April 30, 2021 | By Mr Cole
Slowly back to normal…
This week saw some small but significant things happen in our slow journey back to normal… the main corridor through the centre of the school has now been re-opened which has made a huge difference to children being able to move around the school. Cranford Class and Sunflowers have also resumed taking their lunch in the school hall this week, which is an important transition step for children who will be joining the main school in September.
We are also ready to begin a small selection of after school clubs, which will start running from Monday 10th May. We are very limited to what we can offer because all clubs will need to be run outside so the school can continue to receive its daily deep clean after hours, and because club groupings are restricted to the children’s “playtime bubbles” which are intended for outdoor activities only.
We will be offering the following:
- Monday – Fun Sports with Mr Davies (Alminstone/Ashmansworthy) – field
- Monday – Bikes and Scooters with Mrs Oyarzabal (Cranford) – playground
- Monday – Recorders with Mrs Morrison (Burscott/Stroxworthy) – forest school area
- Wednesday – Running with Mrs Farmer (Alminstone/Ashmansworthy)
- Thursday – Field Games with Mrs Dobson (Burscott/Stroxworthy) – field
All clubs will run until 4:15pm except for Bike and Scooters which will finish at 4pm. All children being collected from Clubs should be picked up from the car park gate, regardless of their usual pick up point.
Bookings for places at these clubs will open shortly via this Google Form: https://forms.gle/yZecbfWWHgobw42y7
Mrs Appleton will also be running a high-5 Netball Club for Alminstone and Ashmansworthy Classes at lunchtimes when space on the playground allows. Ths club won’t require additional permission and boys or girls interested in joining this club should speak directly to Mrs Appleton.
Finally, we have now been given the go-ahead to re-start school trips and visits. This will be a very gradual process as possible venues get used to re-opening and formulate their plans for managing school groups in a Covid-secure manner. For many, our first school trips for over a year are likely to be to our remote Forest School Site at Burford Woods or to RHS Rosemoor, who already have advanced plans in place, so please watch out for information.
Drop Off and Pick Up
We are hopeful that following the next stage in the Roadmap on 17th May, we will be able to look again at our arrangements for drop off and pick up times. However, at the present time, our arrangements are unchanged. Please remember the following key messages to keep everyone safe and reduce the risk of any occurence of Covid in our school community spreading:
- Only one parent to drop off/pick up for children in Preschool to Year 3
- Years 4 – 6 should come to school unaccompanied
- All adults must wear face coverings at drop off and pick up
- All adults must stay 2m apart whilst waiting, and children waiting must only wait with their own bubbles
- Children should not plan to arrive at school before their designated drop off time
Medical Appointments in School Time
As other agencies start reopening we are seeing a sharp increase in children’s appointments for dental work, medical check-ups etc. Please remember that whilst it is absolutely fine for you to be making those appointments in school time, particularly as agencies work hard to clear their backlog, we still require evidence of that appointment for our records. This could be an appointment card or letter, for example. Normally we’d ask to see the originals of such documents but at the moment we are accepting photos/scans of appointment confirmations which can be sent by email to admin@woolsery.devon.sch.uk
All Hallows Church, Woolsery are holding a Cider and Pasty Walk in May…
We’ve had a couple of important Safeguarding updates recently. The first is about a new social media app called Honk. This is currently only available via Apple but is expected to be a new must-have app for teenagers in particular. Like Facebook etc, it has a 13+ age rating but we’re aware that younger children are also likely to access it. As parents you should be aware that it has a low safety rating. This is because it is a live chat format, meaning chat, images and emojis are shared instantly as they’re typed and there is no chat history – making it the perfect platform for grooming or stalking children, as well as online bullying. Please be very vigilant with your children’s devices. Our advice is that you should not allow them to have this app on their devices. For more information, see the following link: Net Aware: Honk Info for Parents
Secondly, Young Minds have updated a lot of their resources to support families with children’s mental health. This was already an excellent site, and the addition of new material and ideas can only improve it further. If you have concerns about your child’s mental health, in connection with Covid or anything else, it’s well worth a visit: Young Minds Website
Well done to our super-learners this week for earning your Headteacher’s Award:
Cranford Class: Kaleb – writing lots of sentences with capitals, finger spaces and full stops; William – moving up a level with his reading
Burscott Class: Lyonie – vast improvement in her sentence writing; Elsie – independently completing her reading comprehension
Stroxworthy Class: Alfie – taking care with his presentation and always giving his best in all subjects; Jack – excellent group work in English and super knowledge about the UK in geography
Alminstone Class: Bailey – conquering cursive handwriting!; Sebastian – great reading progress
Ashmansworthy Class: Megan – creating a beautiful Dreamcatcher in Forest School; Alyssa – amazing effort in maths
Whatever you’re doing this bank holiday weekend, have a great time. School reopens on Tuesday 4th May.
With best wishes,
Matt Cole, Headteacher